In many countries, contamination of the environment can occur from anthropogenic sources (e.g. industrial outputs) and natural sources (e.g. arsenic, heavy metals and radon) and these can result in environmental hazards. Arsenic contamination of groundwater is a global challenge, affecting the health of millions of human population. It has been known for over 100 years that groundwater can be contaminated with high levels of arsenic, but since the recognition of large-scale contamination of aquifers in Asia in the 1990s there has been an explosion of attention to arsenic in both scientific and public policy circles. The last 20 years have seen tremendous advances in our understanding of the source, distribution and geochemical mechanisms for mobilization of arsenic, in groundwater which is the most important source of drinking water that is detrimental to human health. Technological improvements have been made in the analytical chemistry of arsenic, as well as in systems for removal of arsenic. Mitigation approaches have evolved to focus on community participation and behaviour change, and to situate concerns about arsenic in broader considerations of water quality through risk-management approaches such as Water Safety Plans.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development agreed by UN Member States in 2015 is set to drive global and national policies for the coming fifteen years. Arsenic features more prominently in this development agenda, both in terms of direct influence on the target for universal access to safe drinking water, and indirect impacts on achieving the other targets. This session aims to focus on holistic perspectives on research on arsenic covering to provide a broad overview, as well as in-depth discussion on technical, economic and social factors that may affect the choice of best practice for arsenic management from the perspectives of comprehensive drinking Water Safety Plan for drinking water supplies. The specific target topics covering i) source characterization, spatial variability analysis; ii) exposure and health impacts, iii) risk analysis, including risk assessment and monitoring and; iv) innovations within mitigation and treatment approaches; and v) and an integrated approach for translating the science and evidence based knowledge to develop frameworks for policy and implementation to provide sustainable access to safe drinking water.
This session contains contributions that are applied and fundamental, in topics including: (a) quantifying the extent of contamination, (b) field trials and modelling of contamination as it propagates from the source to the sink (e.g. air, water, soil and plants), (c) monitoring techniques, including low-cost, for contaminants in the environment, (d) mitigation of contamination in affected sites, and (e) assessing the related risks to humans of environmental contamination. We welcome contributions ranging from experimental, laboratory, to modelling, with emphasis (but not limited to) low-cost ideas and research that might be applied to both low and high income regions of the world.